


The Start of Something New

by rebelmeg



Series: Rebelmeg's TSB Mark IV Fills [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awesome Pepper Potts, Developing Relationship, F/M, First Dates, Getting to Know Each Other, Implied Sexual Content, Missing Scene, Romantic Fluff, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27424801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelmeg/pseuds/rebelmeg
Summary: After their first kiss on the rooftop, Pepper and Tony arrange a way to figure out this new thing they've got started between them.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: Rebelmeg's TSB Mark IV Fills [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1894204
Comments: 21
Kudos: 67
Collections: Ladies of Marvel Bingo 2020, Pepperony Bingo 2020, Tony Stark Bingo Mark IV





	1. This "Us" Thing

**Author's Note:**

> *Smashes out another few squares* For the Tony Stark Bingo, the Ladies of Marvel Bingo, and the Pepperony Bingo!
> 
> Title: The Start of Something New - Chapter 1: This "Us" Thing  
> Collaborator: rebelmeg  
> TSB Card Number: 4034  
> Squares Filled: TSB K2 - First Date  
> LoMB E3 - Heartfelt Confession  
> Pepperony Bingo B4 - Self-Esteem Issues  
> Ship: Pepperony  
> Rating: Teen  
> Major Tags: missing scenes, developing relationship, first date, self-esteem issues, vacation  
> Summary: After their first kiss on the rooftop, Pepper and Tony arrange a way to figure out this new thing they've got started between them.  
> Word Count: 2362

It was in the hospital a few hours after the Expo went kaboom, and Pepper was waiting for the doctor to discharge Tony, that a little more of… everything started to settle in.

This last week had been an insane escalation of the craziness life had been for the past six months, ever since Tony officially became Iron Man. She’d been CEO for a matter of days, Tony had faced death like four or five times in less than a week, and his body still bore the signs of just how close he’d come to vanishing from her world. She wouldn’t have even known, she was pretty sure, not until it was over. If not for whatever Natalie, or whoever she was, and whoever the pirate guy was that Tony had mumbled something about, she might have walked into the mansion tomorrow and he would have already been gone. JARVIS had shown her some of the images, some of the data, and she had nearly thrown up when she realized exactly how close, precisely how many hours she had been, from losing him again.

It had come that close.

Pepper focused on the glow in Tony’s chest as he reclined on the hospital bed, half-dressed and drowsing. She was sitting next to him, tucked hip to hip, holding his hand in both of hers. It was the first time that she’d actually gotten a really close look at the reactor, and she couldn’t help studying it, seeing the fading lines on his chest that had been black and purple with poison only hours ago.

Had it hurt? It looked like it hurt.

“You can touch it. If you want.”

She jumped a little at Tony’s sleep-rough voice, surprised to be caught staring as she leaned back. “Sorry.”

“No, Pepper,” He caught her hand, gently, trying to keep her from pulling away. “It’s okay. That’s all I’m saying. You’ve not really had a good look at it, except for the time you helped me switch it out and got all gooey and grossed out.”

She grimaced a little at the memory, but was smiling at the same time. It was just one of those kinds of memories.

“You’re the only one I’ve ever trusted like that, you know.” Tony said softly, still holding her hand. “Enough to let you reach inside and hold my heart.”

“Oh, Tony.” With a gentle, barely-more-than-air touch, she let her free hand rest on the arc reactor. “This isn’t your heart. I know your heart, I’ve known it for years. And it was good long before this had anything to do with it.”

She saw the way he ducked his head, heard him swallow hard as he avoided her gaze. “I’m not so sure about that.”

“Why? Because you had the best of intentions when you made weapons to protect and defend your country? Because you didn’t know everything Obadiah was doing last year? Because you couldn’t anticipate Hammer or Vanko doing what they did tonight? You can’t blame yourself for that, Tony.”

There was just the briefest flash of his eyes, a cynical twist to his mouth that was pretending to be a smile. “Sure I can.” 

She didn't fall for his fake smiles anymore. “Before Obadiah, you were doing what you thought was right, and in a lot of ways, it was. You were protecting people. Yes, you made weapons. You did. And in hindsight, sure, that might look less than pure. But you did it for the right reasons, and you made them as safe as you could be.” She tipped his chin up, waiting for his eyes to meet hers. “And the moment you had more information, you stopped. And you did something else. But one thing that didn’t change? You’re still protecting people. You’re just doing it differently now. You did it tonight. You were seven hours away from being _dead_ , Tony. But you still saved everyone. At the expense of yourself, if that had been required. That’s what a hero does.”

The breath Tony took in and let out slowly shook a little, and his eyes were bright with tears. “I really want to believe that.”

“I’ll believe it for you. Until you can believe it yourself.”

“What if I never do?” He whispered, leaning forward and pressing his forehead to hers.

She brushed her fingers through his hair, holding him to her and savoring the fact that she could do that now. “No expiration date. Tony Stark, I will believe in you forever.”

* * *

“So, the whole vacation, company retreat, whatever, to Cipriani didn’t work out.”

Pepper glanced at Tony across the counter in the kitchen, wondering where he was going with this. He sounded like he was making Plans and forming Ideas, things that might risk the nice moment she was having with her chocolate croissant and cappuccino right now.

“You’ve been awake for three days, should this idea wait until we’ve finished breakfast, cut off that hospital bracelet, and maybe slept for a few hours?”

Tony grinned a little, and even though he looked exhausted and beat up, he was still beautiful. “Counteroffer. How about maybe we take off and hide on a private island for a week? I’m a billionaire, I can be extravagant like that.”

She blinked at him. And tried really hard to make sure the first thing out of her mouth wasn’t all the reasons they couldn’t do that. “What would we do on a private island?”

“I don’t suppose lay around naked and have umbrella drinks is an acceptable answer?”

She cocked an eyebrow.

He smirked a little, then went serious. Looking like he had to pull together a little courage to do it, he slid his hand across the counter towards hers. Pepper took it, and shivered just a little at how good his calloused fingers and palm felt against hers.

“We both… we need time. Time to figure out…” Tony waved his finger between the two of them. “It’s different now, this _us_ thing, and I’m guessing that it’s not gonna be smooth sailing, considering I’m involved.”

That was true. But not because it would all be his fault. They were in this together now, and he was making it very obvious that he was going to do his damndest to do it right. So she was going to do the same.

Feeling an overwhelming surge of something like love, Pepper reached across the counter and cupped his cheeks in her hand, loving the feel of his meticulous beard under her palms, the way he leaned into her touch.

“Smooth sailing, no. But that doesn’t mean it’s not going to be worth it.”

He smiled then, the kind of sweet, almost bashful half-smile that came out when he was pleasantly surprised. The kind of smile he never showed the press. “Yeah?”

She just nodded, and then, because she could, leaned in for a kiss.

Still not weird.

In fact, one of the most wonderful things she’d ever felt.

* * *

Later, Pepper wouldn’t even remember what Tony had said. He was always saying silly things, being funny, delivering deadpan sarcasm without a twitch, it was part of who he was.

But she would always remember what happened next, as they sat together on the couch having a late dinner a week after the Expo, because it was such a huge turning point for them.

Tony looked over at her, his eyes sparkling with laughter at his own joke, but his grin died on his face when he saw her polite smile.

“Pep… you can laugh at me again, you know. Now that we’re…” He gestured between the two of them, “ _this_ , we can mess with labels later, you can… you can laugh at me again. I’ve really missed making you laugh.”

Pepper’s eyes had widened a little at his words, and now as she turned them over in her head… she was realizing just how many things had changed. Things about herself that she had changed over the years, things that she didn’t like. Things that maybe she could now undo.

She remembered, back when she’d first been his PA, laughing all the time. Tony was _funny_ , one of the funniest people she had ever known, and it had gotten to the point that she had taken to kicking him under the table during board meetings, nearly choking on suppressed giggles, just so he’d stop making her laugh.

She also remembered when she’d realized that she couldn’t do that anymore. When people started to find it inappropriate, the way Miss Potts acted with Mr. Stark. Far too friendly. Definitely not proper.

They almost hadn’t recovered from that.

But now, on the far side of that trial, and standing at the beginning of this new stage of their relationship, Pepper had the chance to change the things that she didn’t like. To bring back the things she missed. To smile at Tony again, to laugh at him, to find herself breathless and dizzy with how he made her feel, in new ways and old.

Looking at him closely, Pepper smiled a little bit, wonder in her voice when she said, “I can, can’t I?”

Tony took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I really wish you would.”

* * *

They had a few more weeks of damage control to deal with before Pepper could even think of taking that vacation with Tony, but literally the moment she felt sure that SI wouldn’t implode if she took some time off, she called Tony.

“Call the jet and buy us a private island. I’m taking a week off.”

He had been in the middle of something, she could hear the ambient noise of the workshop through the phone, but she had also snagged his full and immediate attention. “Yeah? You sure?”

“We can leave as early as tonight, if you want. I just need to finish up today’s work and pack.” 

It had been a long time since she’d taken a vacation. Something like six years. And she had never felt like she needed a break more than she did now. Plus, she wanted what Tony had offered, the morning after the Expo, over breakfast. A chance for them to figure themselves out.

They were doing okay. They were both busy, so they hadn’t seen each other a lot, but they managed to see each other every day, and Pepper spent a night or two at the mansion each week. They hadn’t done much past kissing and making out, it was like they had silently agreed that anything else had to wait, for that whole figuring out thing. 

So it was easy to forgive Tony for his muttered comment about blue balls before he agreed to her proposal with enthusiasm, promising that he’d be waiting downstairs for her with the limo the second she finished her work.

And he was, leaning against the long black car with a big smile on his face when she finally left SI at nearly eight o’clock.

Pepper fell into his arms, one of her very favorite things about their newly redefined relationship, and she breathed in deep sigh as all the tension went out of her.

“You smell good.” She mumbled into his shoulder, ignoring the way her feet hurt and her bag was heavy in the crook of her elbow and she was kind of starving.

“Wanted to make sure I was ready for my date, it’s kind of important. Our first date, Pep. I pulled out all the stops.”

Pepper was confused as she pulled back, but also happily surprised. “What did you do?”

With a flourish, Tony opened the door to the limo and held out a hand to help her in. “I considered dinner first, but you seem pretty eager to get out of the clutches of literally everyone, so I figured we can either eat on the way to the airport, or once we get in the air. I am prepared for both options.”

There were flowers in the car, an odd mix of gorgeous blue orchids and cheerful sunflowers. There was dinner from Pepper’s favorite place, and dessert from Tony’s favorite place (he had a bigger sweet tooth than she did). A bottle of champagne was waiting on ice, and Tony was quick to get rid of her “indecently sexy shoes” as soon as they settled in.

A quick trip to Pepper’s apartment so she could finish packing (Tony had done some of it already, but he clearly knew better than to presume he knew what she’d want or need), and then they were in the air and heading away from it all.

Pepper could feel one kind of stress fall away, as a far better nervousness started to rise. A whole week, just the two of them. It was hard not to wonder how it was going to go.  
Was this going to be weird? It wouldn’t, right? Tony wouldn’t let it be weird. Or if he did, it would be a weird he arranged for on purpose, because he was like that.

She didn’t really have a chance to get anxious about it before Tony was coaxing her to the bedroom suite on the plane. She flushed, immediately suspecting that she’d be finding lingerie and a strip of condoms on the bed, but she should have known better.

“Nope, not that.” Tony assured her as he held her hand and led her to the bed. “You’re tired, I’m tired, the flight will take about seven hours, and that’s a great opportunity for a nap, wouldn’t you say?”

“I’d say you’re a bit of a genius, Mr. Stark.” She teased him, loving the way his eyes lit up, loving that she could tease him again, as he offered her a pair of silk pajamas. Luxurious and sensual, but modest, and she didn’t have any problem putting them on and crawling right into Tony’s arms when he got into bed and held them out for her.

She could hear his smile as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Glad my intellectual prowess is getting the recognition it deserves, Miss Potts.”


	2. Seven Perfect Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Pepper have seven whole days on a perfect beach to make something new out of who they already are.

They landed in their destination country only to take off again, in a small private plane that Tony piloted himself. The island was fifteen minutes out to sea, far enough that they were all alone, but close enough for safety.

The sun was shining brilliantly when they got off the small plane on the island, and the walk to their beach house was short. Tony looked proud but apprehensive as he paused and pointed the house out, tucked back in the shade of the tropical trees and bushes.

“Here we are. What do you think?”

Pepper took it all in, from the warm golden sand at her feet, to the lush greenery, the immense blue of the sea and the sky, and the gorgeous little luxury hut. She reached for Tony’s hand, slipping her fingers through his as she looked at him. “It’s beautiful, Tony. Absolutely perfect.”

He was smiling, looking maybe the tiniest big smug, but he certainly deserved that. “Glad you like it. I plan for us to have a lot of really good sex here.”

Feeling the urge to giggle rise up inside her, it was such a relief to actually let it out. She enjoyed it nearly as much as she kiss she leaned in for, a kiss that Tony met her for with a happy sigh.

But after a moment, Pepper drew back, her head tilting to the side in consideration. “I haven’t asked before, I kept forgetting, but did you know you taste like coconut? And… metal?”

Tony blinked a few times, then burst out laughing. “I do?!”

“Yeah. I thought it was from something you ate, the first time, but… it’s still there.”

He was giggling now, and oh, it made her smile. 

He tapped at his arc reactor. “The new element, I guess this is one of the weird side effects. I tasted it too at first, but I guess I’m just used to it now.”

Pepper leaned in again, drawn to that laughing, mobile mouth. She was very, very thorough this time, kissing him deep and wet. He looked a little starry-eyed when she drew back, a little dazed, and that was almost as good as when he smiled.

“Wonder if I’ll get used to it too.”

He had to clear his throat a couple of times before he could speak. “I highly encourage your giving it a shot, as often as you want.”

With a devilish grin, Pepper took a few steps back towards the beach house. As she went, she worked her tank top up over her head, and laughed aloud at the bug-eyed look Tony gave her when she tossed it on the sand. “I will if you catch me.”

She didn’t even reach the doorway of the beach house before he caught her, something like a growl coming up from deep in his chest, but Pepper loved being caught.

They didn’t leave the beach house for the rest of the day.

* * *

They did, however, leave the beach house a few times during the rest of the week.

First, they hit the beach that was literally at their doorstep. Tony had always loved the ocean, he hadn’t just built his mansion on an impossible cliff because he was told it couldn’t be done. He had loved the proximity to the water, the fact that he could surf whenever he wanted, and that he had a great view.

After Afghanistan, unfortunately, his love for surfing was lost. Water was a tricky thing now, he couldn’t stand to have his head underwater, it had taken him weeks to be able to shower without panicking.

But he could still wade in the ocean, he could swim as long as he kept his head out, and he even talked Pepper into racing around with him through the waves on the beach for awhile. They collected a few shells and pretty rocks, drew their initials in a heart in the sand.

And then when he had run inside to grab some lunch, Pepper had found a nice spot in the shade, dragged over a lounge chair, and ditched the sarong she’d been wearing as a skirt.

She was stretched out reading a book when Tony came back, and he stopped right in his tracks and stared at her. Pepper knew precisely how great her legs looked in this bikini, so she just smiled and daintily crossed her ankles as she looked at him with a smile.

“That’s it,” Tony said, still unable to drag his eyes away from all the freckled skin she had on display. “We’re never going back.”

* * *

The third day on the island, they decided to head back to the mainland for some quick shopping. The beach house was very well stocked, but Pepper had developed something of a weakness for pineapple mango smoothies (Tony was very proud), and they were fresh out of both.

While they strolled through the outdoor market, picking things they liked and a few things to try, the two of them held hands. Pepper couldn’t stop smiling, she felt like a teenager with her first boyfriend, and more than once she caught Tony looking at her with something beautiful and soft in his eyes. She blushed every time.

One of the local women who ran a fruit stall even commented on it, asking if they were newlyweds because, “You have big happy, big love.”

If Pepper cuddled up against Tony’s side after that, loving the way he kissed her temple and wrapped his arm around her, she didn’t think anyone would mind.

The fourth day, Tony's engineering brain started to get to him, and he took apart the blender (after he made Pepper’s pineapple mango smoothie) and the tiny travel hairdryer in the bathroom, managing to make a bubble blower. They spent half the afternoon slipping and skidding around the tiled kitchen, covered in suds, blowing dish soap bubbles at each other and laughing like children, only to fall into the enormous jetted tub behind the house and have the kind of fun that had them making distinctly adult noises.

The fifth day they spent on the beach again, Pepper reading a book and Tony jotting down mathematical equations in a notebook as fast as he could, so he didn’t forget the idea he’d just had. They stayed out on the sand for dinner, building a fire and roasting whatever they wanted over it, then lying out under the stars as the fire slowly died.

The sixth day was a little too close to reality, the impending trip home seeming far too close, so Tony flew them to the mainland in order to get a boat (Pepper wasn’t sure if he’d rented or bought the small yacht). It had thick windows in the hull, so they could crowd together on the small couch below decks and watch for marine life outside. They also tried a little bit of fishing, but Pepper shrieked when she actually hooked something, and Tony shrieked louder when it landed on the deck. (It was a fish maybe four inches long, very wriggly, and it was unhooked and flung overboard with more shrieking.)

The seventh day was hard, even though the sun was shining on the waves and the breeze was perfect. It was the end of this little slice of paradise, and Pepper didn’t want to let it go. She felt moody as she packed a little, but Tony wasn’t about to let their last day be sad.

* * *

“Miss Potts, I’m afraid I need you in the kitchen immediately.” Tony called out, knowing that Pepper was in the bedroom moping a little bit as she packed up some of their stuff. He was struggling a little himself, knowing that it was going to be hard to hold on to this amazing, beautiful, fragile beginning they’d made for themselves. Intimacy was hard, especially in real life, where they would both be constantly bombarded from all sides with demands for time and attention. So he was going to do his damndest to ensure that the rest of this trip was perfect, and then he was going to continue doing his damndest to make sure that things didn’t end when they got home.

He knew all the wrong ways to have a relationship, but Tony Stark was nothing if not a trier. He’d found a thousand ways not to have a girlfriend, so now he’d find as many ways as worked in order to keep the perfect one he hoped he had.

And speak of the devil, she came out of the bedroom, still beautiful despite the solemn expression on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“I just realized something,” Tony held out his hand, waiting for her to take it before he tugged her in, up against his chest with his arm around her waist. “We haven’t danced since that gala, when you were wearing that frankly spectacular blue dress.”

Pepper blinked a few times, but her hand automatically came up to rest on his shoulder. “Okay?”

“And we deserve better than that, don’t you think? That wasn’t a good night for me, the way I acted or what happened, so I think I need a redo. A dance here, our first dance together, something better to remember.”

A slow, soft smile spread over her face, and Pepper slowly started swaying with him. “I don’t have a spectacular dress like last time.”

Tony rubbed his hand in a slow circle over the small of her back, which was mostly bare because of the way her casual dress wrapped around her. “I like this one.”

“And there’s no music.”

“Is it too cheesy to say there’s music in our hearts?”

Her smile was his favorite thing. “Maybe just a little.”

Ever the problem-solver, Tony started humming. Nothing much, not even really a tune, just something to sway to. An excuse to hold his Pepper in his arms, to rest his head against hers and smell her perfume and let the rightness of the moment draw out.

After dancing in the kitchen, he decided brunch was a good idea. And he let Pepper be in charge of the omelets once they hit the pan, so they turned out great. He took over making mimosa slushies, because his powers were with the (newly purchased) blender, and he made Pepper laugh as he bragged about it at length. Some chopped fruit and toast made the meal complete, and they decided to have it out on the beach. Pepper balanced the plates and glasses while Tony dragged lounge chairs right up into the surf, and they dabbled their feet in the lapping waves while they ate. It was perfect, and Tony decided that while he was up getting them more mimosa, he would also grab the present that he’d bought for Pepper when she’d been distracted picking out the best mangoes earlier that week.

She smiled when he handed her the envelope and the tissue paper package along with her mimosa. “I knew you were up to something when we were in town.”

“Well, watching you fondle the fruit was getting me all hot and bothered, I had to do something with myself before I ravished you on top of the fruit stand.”

That made her giggle, but it turned into a very pretty gasp when she opened the package and pulled out a gold bracelet made up of several dainty chains dotted with ocean blue gemstones.

“To commemorate our first date.” Tony said simply, trying not to shuffle awkwardly as he waited on tenterhooks to see if she liked it.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes luminous. “I thought the limo was our first date.”

“Yeah, okay, _technically_ , but this whole week has kinda been our first date too. The date that wouldn’t end.”

Pepper was smiling now. “The date I wish wouldn’t end.” She held up the bracelet and turned her wrist over. “Put it on me?”

Tony was going to pretend his fingers weren’t a bit clumsy with nerves, he was going to pretend it was because he just liked having her skin under his fingertips. Which was true, he had spent hours this week proving just how much, tracing every freckle.

The bracelet sparkled in the sunlight, but it didn’t hold a candle to the way Pepper’s eyes were shining.

“I put in an order for it when we first got here from California. I didn’t think they’d have it ready when we went in for supplies, but I figured I’d check anyway. I was gonna save it for when we got home, but…” Tony shrugged. “Couldn’t help myself.”

Pepper tugged him down and kissed him, lingering awhile and running her hands through his hair. He groaned appreciatively before sitting back down in his lounge chair. “I like you.”

She giggled as she opened the large envelope, “I like you too.”

Once again, her eyes went wide when she saw what was inside. “Tickets to Italy?”

“They’re open-ended,” Tony reassured her. “We can cash them in whenever we want. They’re more symbolic, really since we’d be using my plane and we don't actually need tickets, but… you get it. I know we can’t go anytime soon, we’ve both got a lot on our plates. But… someday, yeah? It’s one of my favorite places in the world, and I’d love to take you. Doesn’t have to be Venice, it can be anywhere in Italy, I love it all. Next year maybe? We’d have an excuse, with our anniversary.”

He could feel his face heating up, and kind of hated that, but not when he saw the soft way Pepper smiled at him.

“I love that idea. We should definitely do that.”

They spent awhile kissing, leaning over the arms of their lounge chairs as the tide slowly came in, no rush. Just enjoying each other.

Pepper was smiling and toying with her bracelet when they finally broke apart, looking at the tickets to Italy in her lap as Tony picked up his mimosa. She waited until he had the drink back up at his lips before commenting casually, “I hope you’re not thinking this makes you my sugar daddy or something.”

With a _splurt_ that sent frosty splashes of mimosa everywhere, Tony choked, coughed, and dabbed at his chin with his wrist. “Oh, you did that on purpose.”

“Yeah, I did.” She was giggling as she moved into his lap and handed over her brunch napkin for his dripping beard, and he loved that sound more than anything.

“Vixen.” He accused lightly, swiping at the wet stains on his shirt. “And as for being your sugar daddy, I don’t think either of us would be comfortable with that kink coming out of your mouth.”

Pepper just kept giggling, and Tony kept grinning, and he kind of wanted to stay exactly in that moment, sticky mimosa mess notwithstanding, forever.

She looped her arms around his neck, managing to speak around her laughter. “So, hard no on being your sugar baby. But a definite ‘yes’ on being your girlfriend. And someday… maybe something more.”

And just like that… his Pepper managed to turn an already perfect moment into something effervescent with pure joy.

It was going to be sad to leave this place, to go back to reality and the struggles that came with it after this week of perfection in their own private, personal paradise. But Tony had a good feeling about this, what they’d built together while they'd been here. He and Pepper had already had ten years to get used to each other, to become familiar with each other’s orbits and habits and everything that made them who they were. Now was the fun part, he supposed. Finding all the ways to love all of that, making the time for it. It was the hardest part, he was sure, not messing all that up. But also the most worth it.

And he had a really, really good feeling about where this was going.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Poliz for being my beta!
> 
> And if you're interested, this fic is a kind of unofficial sequel to [Personal and Working Relationships](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18957616).


End file.
